China web site directory

Tue 3^rd Sep

Sounds, the Future and the oldest Thesaurus

A mixed bag of updates to the web site has now been released. Looking ahead to the future new Chinese calendars for 2021 and 2022 have been added. These includes all the public and traditional holidays. While doing this work we found an error in the lunar month calculation for 2020 which has been corrected. Our three Mandarin Chinese lessons remain popular and we have added sound effects so you can here the words pronounced - very important when getting to grips with the Chinese tones. Some time ago we added a page on the Hanlin Academy but failed to mention an even older academic institution - the Taixue which was up and running 2,000 years ago. With now added a bit about it. On the same lines there is one ancient text, may be 2,400 years old that has a good claim to be by far the oldest Thesaurus, this is the ‘Er ya’, so we've added a bit about that. Read more…

Many of the older web sites had pages of links to other sites, often these are not maintained so the links no longer work. Our directory is generated from our extensive database of facts about China and so can be maintained much more easily. If you spot a web site you think we should add to the list please let us know. We last checked all these web sites in March 2018. In the first section are reference web sites with background information about China, the second set are web logs (blogs) which are full of personal experiences and opinions about China.

We make extensive use of books for the information on this web site. For detailed reviews of these books, see our book review section.

China Knowledge ➚
Extensive web site with many learned articles based on primary sources. It currently has a number of broken links but do not let that put you off, the graphics are also rather limited but the text covers topics not covered properly elsewhere

Global Security ➚
This web site concentrates on military intelligence but has surprisingly good sections on the government and history of China.

Yellow Bridge ➚
A good online guide to the Chinese Mandarin language. Each character includes the origin of characters, how to write them and how to pronounce them.

Wikipedia ➚
Wikipedia has a huge amount of content, far more than we could ever cover here. However the quality is mixed, some pages are excellent and some not so good and more importantly they are not carefully cross-linked and categorized. Generally they have grown too big and comprehensive rather than closely focused. We use hundreds of links into Wikipedia to give the background to people, places and traditions.

Wengu ➚
A quirky site that gives the full characters and translations of great Chinese classics; including the Sanzijing , Yijing, Sunzi and the Analects

Chinese Tools ➚
A useful language tool to look and learn the characters, but the main dictionary is all in Chinese. There are various other interesting bits and pieces about the language including proverbs.

Learn Cantonese ➚
A language web site with a useful lookup, it gives both mandarin and cantonese characters. The site has some quizzes

Chinese Text Project ➚
A commendable project to publish the ancient Chinese classics together with modern translations. It focuses particularly on Confucian and Daoist thought. The web site has a good online character lookup dictionary. The web site design is however rather archaic with no graphics.

Chinese Tools.eu ➚
Contains a useful tool for converting characters to/from pinyin, wade-giles and yale. Has some nice tools for learning chinese, a calendar and some on zodiac years.

China Maine ➚
This university web site has a number of web pages covering a wide range of topics of mixed age and quality. It has a dictionary and examples of art and calligraphy as well as some Chinese lessons.

China Highlights ➚
A site aimed at tourists with guides to city and some pages on culture; festival; food

Travel China Guide ➚
Sells trips to China that can be individually tailored including transport. There is a useful Community area where people exchange tips and information

Wiki Travel ➚
Wikitravel is a community effort where visitors have left information about places they have visited. Coverage is very patchy, there is some useful general information hidden away. There are sections on regions and all large cities.

China Travel ➚
Offers detailed information on most sites of interest to tourists. Also offers specialist tours to China.

XinHua ➚
English language news and background on all aspects of Chinese life and Chinese articles about World news

Jordan's China Tales ➚
Some useful background on the Chinese classics, art and traditions. A personal web site of a Californian professor

The Guardian ➚
British newspaper articles with a specialist section of news from China

Cultural China ➚
A large web resource with many pages about Chinese culture including archaeology; festivals; history and an introduction to the language.

Nations Online ➚
Covers traditions; religion; legends and customs in some detail. Not much on provinces or history.

China Culture ➚
This site covers cultural events and art exhibitions in China with many pages of background material.

Sacred Texts ➚
Contains a good range of the Chinese classics in English from out of copyright books

Chinese Idioms ➚
A very large selection of Chinese proverbs with excellent background on customs. Each idiom features not just a translation but also a description of its origin and history as well as when the proverb should be used.

Mandarin Tools ➚
A simple but fairly complete online dictionary for Chinese-English and English-Chinese

CNN on China ➚
News and current affairs articles from one of the most respected independent news organizations

BBC on China ➚
The BBC has an extensive coverage of news from China, it also has a separate sub-site with the news in Chinese ➚.

Teacup Media ➚
An extensive set of podcasts (from ten minutes to an hour) covering all sorts of China related topics. Laszlo Montgomery speaks excellent mandarin and presents each topic clearly and with enthusiasm. There are some proverbs (Chengyu) that are shorter. All topics are researched in depth.

CCTV9 Documentary ➚
An official Chinese television that produce a wide range of documentaries about Chinese history and traditions in English and Chinese.

China Minutes ➚
A new, modern web site full of news and cultural traditions. Also news of events. Based in UK and France.

Demonstrating the elaborate tea ceremony at the Du Fu Thatched Cottage Museum, Chengdu, Sichuan

As well as information sites giving reference information, it is interesting to read the blogs of people with personal experiences of China. As these are personal views expounding a range of opinions, we must add that including the site does not imply we agree with the content. These web sites give a glimpse of China in the here and now.

Linda living in China ➚
A personal blog about living in China observing all the ups and downs of moving to China including learning the language and getting to grips with the culture at first hand.

The Beijinger ➚
The Beijinger has a lot of individuals all posting observations about modern living in Beijing. Many reflect on life as it happens in China's busy capital with comparisons to ancient traditions and culture.

China Policy Institute ➚
News stories about current affairs in China with an emphasis on government policies and initiatives.

Speaking of China ➚
Personal views of living and traveling in China, Jocelyn also shares her experience of love of a native Chinese and the problems of dating Chinese men.

The Shanghaiist ➚
Many stories of the unusual and unexpected in modern day China. Often these link back to history and tradition.

Categories

Wed 9^th Oct

Early pioneer receives friendship award

As part of the 70th anniversary of the foundation of the PRC the President presented ‘Friendship Awards’ to 42 foreign experts. These are the highest honors that can be awarded to a foreign national. Among them was remarkable survivor from well before the Peoples’ Republic: 104 year old Isabel Crook. She was born in Chengdu, China to Canadian missionary parents. She married David Crook in 1942 in England and went back to China in 1947. They made an intensive, thorough study of how the new communist reforms were affecting poor farmers in rural areas. Their findings showed how the poorest people were being significantly helped by the new system. They suffered, as did all foreign nationals, under the Cultural Revolution but Isabel’s love for China held firm throughout all the troubles. You can read about her incredible life on her web site ➚.

Photograph and more about the awards can be found here ➚.

Read full story…
Read all our news stories...

Traveling

Sites with pages describing the places to visit in China: China Highlights ➚, Travel China Guide ➚, Wiki Travel ➚, China Travel ➚,

News

We do not track current affairs on this web site, for information about what is going on in China take a look at these sites: XinHua ➚, The Guardian ➚, CNN on China ➚, BBC on China ➚, Linda living in China ➚, The Beijinger ➚, China Policy Institute ➚, Analects ➚, Speaking of China ➚, The Shanghaiist ➚, China Minutes ➚, CCTV9 Documentary ➚,

Attributes

Characters

Sites that uses Chinese characters : China Knowledge ➚, Yellow Bridge ➚, Wikipedia ➚, Wengu ➚, Chinese Tools ➚, Learn Cantonese ➚, Chinese Text Project ➚, Chinese Notes ➚, Chinese Tools.eu ➚, China Maine ➚, Chinese Chinese ➚, Jordan's China Tales ➚, Nations Online ➚, Sacred Texts ➚, Chinese Idioms ➚, Mandarin Tools ➚,

Active

Sites that are still being regularly updated : China Knowledge ➚, Yellow Bridge ➚, Wikipedia ➚, Chinese Text Project ➚, Chinese Notes ➚, XinHua ➚, China Highlights ➚, Travel China Guide ➚, Wiki Travel ➚, China Travel ➚, The Guardian ➚, China Culture ➚, CNN on China ➚, BBC on China ➚, Linda living in China ➚, The Beijinger ➚, China Policy Institute ➚, Analects ➚, Speaking of China ➚, The Shanghaiist ➚, China Minutes ➚, CCTV9 Documentary ➚, Teacup Media ➚,

Modern

Sites with an up-to-date look and feel : Yellow Bridge ➚, Wikipedia ➚, Chinese Tools.eu ➚, China Highlights ➚, Travel China Guide ➚, China Travel ➚, XinHua ➚, The Guardian ➚, Chinese Idioms ➚, China Culture ➚, CNN on China ➚, BBC on China ➚, The Beijinger ➚, China Policy Institute ➚, Analects ➚, Speaking of China ➚, The Shanghaiist ➚, China Minutes ➚, CCTV9 Documentary ➚, Teacup Media ➚,

Wade-Giles

Sites using the old-fashioned Wade-Giles romanization rather than the more modern Pinyin system : Global Security ➚,

Qing dynasty, Beihai Park, Beijing, roof

Beijing park pavilion roof